Just got back from a week in Hawaii (Big Island) and wanted to share the experience and some recommendations. I had to buy a bunch of equipment for my tank (new Apex, new return pump) right before the trip so didn’t have budget to buy a GoPro which I regret. So, no photos but I’ll share some recommendations for those thinking about going there one day and if interested, I’m sure you’ll find higher quality photos on Google Images than I could take anyhow.
I used to think Bermuda was best place to snorkel but Hawaii beats it by far. Hawaii actually looks like our fish tanks - all the tangs, triggers and butterflyfish you’d see in the hobby. First thing I noticed is some of the fish are a lot larger than in my tank - much larger. Some of those yellow tangs could eat my yellow tang for lunch. I know the fish in our hobby stay smaller because of food and habitat but forgot just how much.
Hilton Waikoloa lagoon (northwest)— this probably sounds a bit cheesy for anyone that does serious diving but if you have small kids, the Hilton Waikoloa has a calm lagoon with a ton of fish right there. My kids got their first real snorkeling experience there. A ton of Hawaiian Blue Boxfish, huge naso tangs (I think that is what they were), eels, picasso triggers and more.
Two-step / Honaunau Bay (southwest) - not kid friendly (at least not for the 7 year old) as it was rough and a bit of a challenge getting in and out. Actually stabbed myself pretty good on an urchin when getting slammed against the rocks. You see some coral and a slightly different fish selection. Saw a ton of Kole Tangs and Parrot Fish in addition to the usual triggers and tangs. Not exactly sure what the coral was but mostly very large orange plating corals. Recommend full gear with fins. Locals seemed to all be wearing wetsuits.
Kapoho Tide Pools (southeast near Pahoa) - this is by far my favorite place I’ve ever been snorkeling and is also kid friendly (for the most part- everyone got a little cut up from the volcanic rocks you walk on to get to the tide pools at low tide). They advise you to use reef safe sunblock or preferably none at all to reduce harm to the corals. We spent the entire day here and got a pretty serious sunburn - well worth it! There are several tide pools that are calm and full of fish. You can also go out to sea to see more corals. This is where I saw the most Moorish Idols. I saw all of the common Hawaiian fish there including many long nose butterflyfish and the Hawaiian Domino/Damsel. Also, several huge red pencil urchins (maybe?) which I’d never seen before. The tide pools area doesn’t really need fins and you might accidentally kick the coral if you did use them so water shoes were fine for me.
If you go, get some good water shoes. The shoreline is almost always rugged volcanic rock so nearly impossible without water shoes.
Hope that was helpful. I’m always excited to read about others trips on here so looking forward to any recommendations others may have for the next trip.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I used to think Bermuda was best place to snorkel but Hawaii beats it by far. Hawaii actually looks like our fish tanks - all the tangs, triggers and butterflyfish you’d see in the hobby. First thing I noticed is some of the fish are a lot larger than in my tank - much larger. Some of those yellow tangs could eat my yellow tang for lunch. I know the fish in our hobby stay smaller because of food and habitat but forgot just how much.
Hilton Waikoloa lagoon (northwest)— this probably sounds a bit cheesy for anyone that does serious diving but if you have small kids, the Hilton Waikoloa has a calm lagoon with a ton of fish right there. My kids got their first real snorkeling experience there. A ton of Hawaiian Blue Boxfish, huge naso tangs (I think that is what they were), eels, picasso triggers and more.
Two-step / Honaunau Bay (southwest) - not kid friendly (at least not for the 7 year old) as it was rough and a bit of a challenge getting in and out. Actually stabbed myself pretty good on an urchin when getting slammed against the rocks. You see some coral and a slightly different fish selection. Saw a ton of Kole Tangs and Parrot Fish in addition to the usual triggers and tangs. Not exactly sure what the coral was but mostly very large orange plating corals. Recommend full gear with fins. Locals seemed to all be wearing wetsuits.
Kapoho Tide Pools (southeast near Pahoa) - this is by far my favorite place I’ve ever been snorkeling and is also kid friendly (for the most part- everyone got a little cut up from the volcanic rocks you walk on to get to the tide pools at low tide). They advise you to use reef safe sunblock or preferably none at all to reduce harm to the corals. We spent the entire day here and got a pretty serious sunburn - well worth it! There are several tide pools that are calm and full of fish. You can also go out to sea to see more corals. This is where I saw the most Moorish Idols. I saw all of the common Hawaiian fish there including many long nose butterflyfish and the Hawaiian Domino/Damsel. Also, several huge red pencil urchins (maybe?) which I’d never seen before. The tide pools area doesn’t really need fins and you might accidentally kick the coral if you did use them so water shoes were fine for me.
If you go, get some good water shoes. The shoreline is almost always rugged volcanic rock so nearly impossible without water shoes.
Hope that was helpful. I’m always excited to read about others trips on here so looking forward to any recommendations others may have for the next trip.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
